As a two-month-long anganwadi worker strike persists, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children bear the brunt, facing a disruption in essential nutritional programmes impacting over 50 lakh individuals.
The ongoing strike by two lakh anganwadi workers has entered its second month, causing a significant disruption to nutritional programmes for more than 50 lakh individuals. Pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children are bearing the brunt of the service breakdown, being deprived of essential hot meals and dry food rations.
Sangeeta Gawli, a 23-year-old mother, had to leave her undernourished two- and three-year-old children with her in-laws in Jalna as the local Anganwadi centre ceased providing hot meals for over a month. This has led to the deteriorating health of her younger child.
Anganwadi centres are crucial in providing hot-cooked meals with vital nutrients supporting child development, catering to around 40 lakh children aged three months to six years. They also offer dry rations to approximately 10 lakh pregnant and lactating women in vulnerable communities.
The strike, led by the Anganwadi Sevika Union, is driven by demands for better remuneration, inclusion in the salary scale, gratuity, provident fund, and social security. The workers demand a Rs 18,000 honorarium, a pension, government employee status, and increased meal prices.
Even as government officials say they are helpless, the strike persists.
The Women and Child Development (WCD) Department is taking alternative measures to ensure essential hot-cooked food for children, utilising open Anganwadi centres and coordinating with schools for distribution. However, concerns arise over the unrecorded weights of malnourished children and the inactive Poshan App, leading to a critical gap in tracking health indicators.
Anganwadi workers have staged protests in Mumbai, highlighting disparities in compensation compared to ASHA workers and underscoring their dedication to daily data-filling and record-keeping tasks. The ongoing strike challenges the immediate well-being of vulnerable populations and raises concerns about the accuracy of health data that may impact budgetary funding from the central government.